Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,585 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Riyadh outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

82

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riyadh and in Sofia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Riyadh and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,738 in Riyadh versus $1,585 in Sofia.

Riyadh $1,738
Sofia $1,585

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,575 in Riyadh versus $2,486 in Sofia.

Riyadh $2,575
Sofia $2,486

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,413 in Riyadh versus $3,387 in Sofia.

Riyadh $3,413
Sofia $3,387

Living in Riyadh is roughly 10% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Riyadh 29% above, Sofia 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.20 SAR 30.79

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-50.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.6 SAR 246

$67.7 BGN 118

-3.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.05 SAR 30.20

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-31.08%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 SAR 7.87

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 SAR 10.74

Cappuccino

$4.43 SAR 16.64

$3.41 BGN 5.93

29.91%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 SAR 3.28

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-63.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 SAR 1.25

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-80.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 SAR 6.75

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-7.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 SAR 4.83

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-16.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 SAR 8.80

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-0.43%

Eggs

$3.11 SAR 11.67

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-32.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 SAR 39.96

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-7.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 SAR 35.12

$8.65 BGN 15.04

8.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 SAR 56.6

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-13.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 SAR 10.95

$2.15 BGN 3.73

35.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 SAR 7.32

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-1.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 SAR 9.35

$1.83 BGN 3.18

36.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 SAR 6.39

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-60.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.43

$1.04 BGN 1.82

13.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 SAR 5.00

$0.89 BGN 1.54

49.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 SAR 6.58

$1.19 BGN 2.06

47.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SAR 2.00

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-36.14%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.91 SAR 29.69

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 SAR 6.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 SAR 8.97

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 SAR 29.45

$4.40 BGN 7.66

78.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 SAR 3.86

$0.92 BGN 1.60

11.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.93 SAR 139

$28.11 BGN 48.91

31.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 SAR 12.10

$1.67 BGN 2.90

92.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.18

$0.85 BGN 1.49

124.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.08 SAR 49.10

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-21.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.41

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-63.22%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.6K SAR 99.9K

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

-11.12%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$22.4K SAR 84.1K

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

-10.45%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$105 SAR 394

$158 BGN 275

-33.46%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$29.43 SAR 110

$21.27 BGN 37.01

38.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 SAR 260

$15.12 BGN 26.30

358.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.4 SAR 291

$46.85 BGN 81.5

65.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$55.7 SAR 209

$27.82 BGN 48.41

100.18%

Cinema Ticket

$14.00 SAR 52.6

$10.00 BGN 17.39

40.00%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$555 SAR 2,082

$815 BGN 1,419

-31.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K SAR 63.7K

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

15.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 SAR 219

$87.1 BGN 152

-33.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 SAR 202

$38.28 BGN 66.6

40.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 SAR 391

$106 BGN 184

-1.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 SAR 391

$107 BGN 187

-2.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 SAR 4,270

$769 BGN 1,338

47.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 SAR 3,160

$593 BGN 1,032

41.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,159 SAR 8,102

$1,530 BGN 2,662

41.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 SAR 4,739

$1,061 BGN 1,846

19.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,706 SAR 10.2K

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-40.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,655 SAR 6,212

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-46.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,088 SAR 7,837

$1,780 BGN 3,098

17.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

2.89

91.70%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Riyadh: October 31, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$842 48.5%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 29.6% $249

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$241 13.9%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 19.4% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$204 11.7%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 4.7% $9.5

Eating Out

Riyadh

$148 8.5%

Sofia

$254 16% 71.6% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$144 8.3%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 5.5% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$105 6.1%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 36.6% $39

Getting Around

Riyadh

$54 3.1%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 29.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,138 in Riyadh and $769 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riyadh pays 17% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Riyadh vs $68 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $288 per month, with Riyadh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

20:34 8:34 PM

19:34 7:34 PM

1 h behind Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Riyadh Sofia 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Riyadh
Sofia

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Riyadh vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,738 in Riyadh and $1,585 in Sofia, so Sofia is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Riyadh, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,138 in Riyadh versus $769 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,738 per month in Riyadh versus $1,585 in Sofia – Sofia is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Sofia runs roughly 24% less than in Riyadh. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Sofia gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Riyadh and Sofia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Sofia wins on affordability, Riyadh on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.